Ham presser and cooker.



C. BUTZ.

HAM PRESSER AND COOKER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 9. I915.

1,165,223. Patented Dec.21.1915.

a {ram/LAW I I BY'W.

ATTORNEYS CLARENCE BUTZ, OF MUSCATINE," IOWA.

HAM PRESSER AND COOKER.

' To all whom it may concern: 1

' Be it known that I, CLARENCE BU'rz,'a citizenof the United States, and a resident of V .Muscatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa,

ers, of which the following is a 'specification.

Myinvention is an pressers and cookers, to provide a deviceof and has for its object the character specified,

' T adapted for holding a ham duringthe-cookingthereof, and having means for subject- ..ingthe ham to a continuous yieldirig'pres 2o tion'during the cooking, and wherein a sin- -gle utensil will serve for hams ofvarious sizes. Inthe drawings':Figur'e 1 is aJperspe'ctive view of the improved cooker, Fig.2 is 26a vertical section, Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the clamping ring, and Fig. 4 is a side view of the presser with the parts in position for the cooking of the-ham.

The embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings comprises a base 1 of Suit? able size and of approximately rectangular shape, and provided with a fixed upright or standard2," and a movable upright or standard 3. The standard- -2 has its lower end re- 85 ceived within Taliniortisepr recess 4 in the upper face of the base, and at one end thereof, and the standard ,or upright is secured within the mortise in any suitable or desired manner.

The lower end of the upright 3 is received between a pair of bearing lugs 5, the said lugs having angular portions resting on the upper-face of the base and secured thereto by bolts or screws 6, and the upright is pivoted to the lugs by a bolt or rivet 7. The

uprights 2 and 3 are provided on their inner or adjacent side edges and at theirupper ends with downwardly facing ratchet teeth 8, each 'upright having a series of teeth and the teeth of one upright registering with the teeth of the other. g

The container or receptacle 9 is':,provided for receiving the ham-indicated at 10, the

said container being cylindrical in form,

having a closed bottom 12, and being externally threaded at its upper end as indicated Specification of Letters P tent.

I have invented a new and use- -ful. Improvement inHam Pressers and Cookimprovement in ham' to lessenthe shrinkage'of the,

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

Application filed' February 9, 1915. Serial No. 7,101.

at 13. The container is of sufficient diameter to receive the largest 'size of ham that it may be desiredto cook Within the same, and a presser plate or head- 14 is provided for engaging the ham within the container, the said plate or head being of a size to fit loosely within the container and transversely thereof. A- plunger or piston 15 is also provided, the said plunger or piston also being of a size to fit within the container, and a plunger rod or stem 16 is connected with the plunger; the said rod having a reduced threaded stem 17, which engages-a central opening in the plunger. A-coil spring 18 is arranged between the plunger and the head, and a clamp is provided for engagement by the plunger to hold the plfinger in adjusted position. a

The clamp is a sectional ring consisting 1 of similar sections 19 and-19, each of the saidsections being approximately a semi-' circle, and curved to fit within the container,

and mechanism is provided for moving the section's toward or from each other. ,The said mechanism comprises sockets 20, connectedat one end to the section 19,-v and extending toward, the opposite section, and

threaded stemsor rods-21, connected to the section 19 in-such position that they will register with the openingsof the sockets. Each rod 21 is received within the adjacent ,gs'ocket, and each rod has a nut 22 threaded thereon, and engaging the end of the socket,

and rotatably connected with the socket in such manner that while the nut may rotate freely with respect to the socket it cannot move away from the socket.

A holding plate 23 is connected with the.

standards 2 and 3, the said plate having at itsjcenter and on one face a recess or depression 24, for receiving the end of the plunger rod 16, and near each end the plate is provided with a longitudinally extending It will be evidentthat when the sections slot-25, the said slots being designed to erimit the passage of the adjacent standar s.

Each slot hasits inner end shaped to fit I between. the teeth as, shown more particula'rly ,in-Fi'g, 2, and itiwill be" obvious that means of the plate .the' plunger. maybe held in adgi'ls'ted position. The} ends of the plate; aped 'into jhan'dl'es as; indicated at. f 26,

are S and a sprin g 27 is arranged-at the outer-sideledge offl-the standerdfi, for normally press" ing ."thelf'standard toward the standard 2. This-spring which, in the .presen instance,- is composed ,of two leaves, has'an angular? portion 28,- which rests on the base'fat'the endiadjacent'to the standard 3 and outside f-the said standard, and the said angular thestapdard 3 and normally presses-{the stahdardltoward the standard 2 to the- :teeth 8 of the. standard in engagement'witl 7- 0 the-"inner end of the adjacent slot preferreddimensions forthe several sizes areas follows For the small size the 0011-, .tainer will have a depthfof nineteen inches and a diameter of six and one-fourth inches;

*fo'rfthe large size thecontainer will have i a; depth of nineteenj'nche's and. a diameter ing device will'also be of eight and one-fourth; "and for-themid- Y dle or intermediate .size' the container will have the same depth and a diameter of seven and one-fourth inches. QThat is, the threesizes will have the same depth and-will diffe r in diameter .byoneinch. --The coil spring 318 willlbe shaped to fit the container it is designed to enter, and obviously the clampthe container.

a T e operation of. the improved presser' and cooker is as follows:- The' ham is a placed-within -the container with thehock end downward as. shown, and the presserf the plunger is placed. The standard 3 is plate'or head 14 is placed above the ham.

The spring 18 is now inserted, after "which swung-outward. at its. upper endto permit the insertion of the standards through' the slots 25, and-grasping the handles 26 of the plate, theplur'iger is forced downward. by forcingthe plate downwardly until the desired degree of pressure is attained, when the plate'is engaged with the teeth 8 of the iiprights. The spring 27 will prevent disengagement t -the standard 3 and of the holding plate." When the desired degree of pressure is attained, as above mentioned, the clamping device, which is already in place in the container abovethe plunger, is operated .to clamp. the plunger against upward movement. The nuts 22 are turned to force the sections 19 and 19 of the ring apart andv into clamping contact with the interior of the container. When this has of a size to fit within moved fromthe base, the plunge rod,

nternally threaded. for engaging the -.threads of the container, and after the cover'ghas been 1ac ed,.-..the container with the hamarranged as above described within r p the sam'eiis placed ina suitable cookin yes 1- portion is'se'cured to the base by. means of a screwor'na-il -29. The. upper -freeend of; "-lthe'spring presses against the outer edge-10f.

'sel. containing water and heatis applied to the said vessel to heat the w-ater.- During ham, thehock end of the ham, is forced -upwardly into the body of the .-ham. The f I v hamiscooked in its own-juices out of can; In} practice the cookers will be made in} various'sizesas for instance of three sizes, a small,'a large, and "a medium-size, andham'may beutili zed;

ened; The cooking of a'ham of average size will, by the usual process, requireapproarimately four hours, whilewith theimproved cooker the ham may be thoroughly :co ked.

in about three hours. i

I claim': 1; A combined presser and cooker tially cylindrical form having a detachable p" tact with the water, and everypart of 10,0} hams,- comprising'a container of sub'stancover, said cover having a threaded engagement with the container, a presser plate of disk form within the container, a' plunge'r' of disk form within the container, a 'coil- "spring arranged'withinthe container be tween theplate and the plungenand means f forlo'cldng the plunger against movement away from the plate, said means compris ing a sectional ringconsisting'of similar- :sections and adaptedftoengage within the container above the plunger, one of the I rings havingsockets extending parallelon opposite sides of the center of the container,

and the other section having threaded stems engaging the sockets, and nuts threaded on to the stem and bearing against the ends of the sockets,

2. A; combined presser and cooker for phams, comprising a container of substantially cylindrical form having a detachable cover, a 'presser plate of disk form within. the container, a plunger of disk form within the container, a coil springarranged within plunger, and means for locking the plunger against movement away from the plate, said means comprising a ring consisting of similar sections and adapted to engage within the container between the plateeand the i 70 released from the plunger, and the cover-3Q, shown in ,IiigJft, is, placed on the container. .This' cover has a' depending marginal flange $0 the cooking of the ham the] spring -1 8causes the container above theplunger, and means fonforcing the sections of the ring in oppos'lte directions.

3. A combined presser and cooker for hams, comprising a container of substantially cylindrical form having adetachable cover, a presserplate of disk form within the container, 'a-plunger of disk ,form within the container, a coil spring ahanged Within the container between the plate and e the nected with the container, a presser plate 2.; ifitting within thecont'ainer and adapted to v-v J }wardly, astop plateor plunger, a springengage; the hamtopress the same downi arranged between thepre S Platev and the js top plate', and engaging the Walls of 'the.- container, means adjustable With the stop plate 01- preve'nting upward movement'of the stop plate away from the presser plate,- and means for holding the stop plate or plunger 'inadjusted position during the placing of the clamping means.

5. A cooker fqr hams, comprising a con tainer, a presser plate for engaging the ham, a plunger in the container, a spring between the platerand the plunger, and means for holding the plunger againstmovement away from the plate, said means comprising an expaneling ring for engaging the Wall of the container.

6; A cooker for'hams, comprising a container, a presser plate for engaging the ham, a plunger in the container, means in connection with the plunger for engaging the interior of the side Wall ofsthe container to J hold the plunger in adjusted position with' respect to the presser plate, and a spring ar ranged between the plunger and-the presser plate for'continuously pressing the ham toward the bottom of the container, said plung'erbeing adjustable with respect to the presser plate to ary the tension of the spring. I I

v v ELABENOE BUTZ.

.Witnessest t v A RALPH U."THoMi soN,

. GEORGE W; SoHom'EN; 

